Current sample collection devices for biological materials, including those destined for forensic analysis and DNA biometrics, are ineffective at detecting trace quantities of biological macromolecules (i.e., nanogram to ˜100 picograms for nucleic acids or drugs and metabolites) required for sensitive and reliable genetic profiling technology or small molecule detection. The typical sample collection device's matrix is manufactured with cotton, cellulose paper, glass fiber, and more recently, with rayon, nylon, foam, inorganic polysilane, or modified polycaprolactone. As a matrix, cotton—due to its high absorbency—performs optimally in the collection of biological macromolecules but fails to release the collected biological macromolecules quantitatively. Similarly, other matrices perform to varying degrees in the collection of biological macromolecules, but typically lose about 20-80% of the collected biological macromolecules in the release and retrieval steps. A problem with existing matrices for sample collection devices lies in the trapping and irreversibly binding of biological macromolecules to the collection device's matrix.